The present invention relates to skylights, and more particularly to a skylight having a modular shaft.
Skylights have long been used to allow natural light to enter a building through an opening formed in the roof. Skylights are available in variety of designs and shapes to fit almost any residential or commercial structure.
Typically, a skylight is installed by mounting a curb around an opening formed in the roof. The curb mounts directly to the roof in a weather-tight fashion to receive a glass panel assembly. A second opening is formed in the ceiling immediately below the opening formed in the roof, and a shaft is constructed between the two openings to hide the joists, rafters, and other roof members from sight. The shaft is typically constructed by framing and sheetrocking sidewalls between the two openings. This process requires skilled labor and is costly in terms of both time and materials.
A second technique for installing a skylight includes the use of a prefabricated shaft, such as the light well disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,872 to Young. Young discloses a one-piece, prefabricated shaft or light well that includes four sidewalls extending upwardly from a flange. The light well also includes a support ledge formed around the sidewalls to hold the shaft in place as described below. To install the Young light well, an opening is formed in the both the roof and the ceiling of the structure. The opening in the ceiling must be formed directly below the opening in the roof to allow the flange to properly engage the ceiling. Next, the upper edge of the sidewalls is cut to match the height and pitch of the roof, and to either abut with the skylight or its box framing. This can be done by inserting the shaft up through the openings, until the flange engages the ceiling, and then marking the shaft as necessary for cutting. Once marked, the shaft can be removed and cut. Next, the shaft is reinserted into the openings, and a support frame is constructed around the shaft to engage the support ledge and maintain the light well in place. Finally, the curb and glass panel assembly are mounted to the roof.
While eliminating the need to box frame and sheetrock, the second technique still requires additional labor and materials to construct the support frame. It also requires that the shaft extend perpendicular to the ceiling rather than the roof. As a result, the size of the opening formed in ceiling is substantially smaller than could otherwise be obtained with a shaft extending perpendicular to the roof. Further, the one-piece light well is relatively bulky, thereby increasing the cost of shipping and packaging, and also making product handling and installation more difficult.